Vietnam Veteran finds his brother's gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery..

From my book: Mutiny! The Battle of Dong Ha..

[Randy] … parked his car.  Entering upon the pedestrian walk-way, he gazed upon the expansive display of white crosses and headstones...

As he checked for names and locations to make the job of finding his brother easier, he could see that fateful day at Dong Ha as if it were yesterday.  He felt again the savagery of war with death all around him.  How could he ever put those thoughts to rest?  With his faith weakening, Randy became more superstitious, imagining the ghosts of those who died in past battles.  He could almost feel their presence.

After a while, he proceeded down the section of the renowned cemetery to search for, and locate Biffi.  It took nearly half an hour to finally come to the appropriate area of recent graves.  Some of those graves were filled with the veterans of the Dong Ha battle.  Some names he recognized from C Flight and his Bravo Flight.

Suddenly, his feet couldn't move.  He started to shake as if a fever or a deep chill had penetrated his very being.  But the day was sunny and mild.  He quickly thought about those lousy malaria pills that he was supposed to take for six weeks after his return from Vietnam, but threw in the garbage the day after he arrived home.

His eyes became fixed on the gravestone right in front of him.  He had found his brother, Lewis Biffi.  For nearly two years, he hadn't had the ability to cry.  There were no more tears left, so he thought.  But now, they flowed freely.

What could he say to his friend and brother that would make any sense, any difference?  It was too late for such things.  Or was it?

He had to clear his eyes in order to read the simple etching in the stone:

Air Force Staff Sergeant of Security Police Lewis Biffi; Born July 11, 1947; Died November 29, 1968 at the Battle of Dong Ha, Vietnam.

…

After a couple of minutes, he was able to compose himself.  In a half-broken, softly spoken voice, he said, "You made Staff, Biff."

Randy stepped back a couple of feet, came to attention and hand-saluted his brother for nearly a full minute.  Still, he could not reconcile the cold fact that his friend was now reduced to a number on a gravestone, and another name added to the Wall...

Gene DeLalla